NavList:

There is indeed a shoal in the strait between the mainland and Skyathos at the position given in the Sailing Directions. The name (Ifalos Levkari) doesn't match, though. On the other hand there is a small island called "Ant island" (Μυρμήγκια) located at the eastern shore of Skyathos.

As I couldn't find the text that you cited (Herodotus in the Persian Wars Book 7, 179-183) I couldn't verify the description. My guess would be that Herodot, who may not have been familiar with the area, just mixed up the name of the island and the shoal.

That shoal would normally be difficult to miss, but you can have sudden rainstorms in that area. We had one 3 years ago with not too much wind (25 - 30 knots) but extremely low visibility due to a downpour (probably 20 - 30 m). In these conditions the Persian ships may have seen the shoal too late.

Regards,
Wolfgang
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